Canada Sports Hall of Fame, www.sportshall.caThomas Longboat, 1887-1949: A member of the Onondaga Nation, he was one of the greatest runners in the world in the early 20th century.

The Onondaga Nation has an offering that could be just the fix for area runners looking to burn off that Thanksgiving turkey: There'll be a 5K trail run Friday at the nation, just behind the firehouse on Route 11A. It's an informal run, although a clock will be available at the finish line for runners seeking to keep track of their times.

Entry fee is $15, and T-shirts will be available on a first-come basis. Shirley Hill and Dawn Field, two of the race organizers, say they're expecting big things in the future. While a portion of this year's race will be on Route 11A, Field said the goal is creating a course that will never veer from woodland trails on the Onondaga territory.

The logistics are perfect: The nation is a locale that seems made for a race, and the day after Thanksgiving - in an era when new races are popping up throughout the calendar - becomes an ideal spot for an event.

The organizers also hope to rekindle local appreciation for Thomas Longboat, an Onondaga who was one of the elite distance runners in the world in the first decade of the 20th century. He set a new course record for the Boston Marathon with an easy victory in that race in 1907,won many major races over the years, and served with distinction as a message carrier in World War I. While he was raised on Six Nations territory in Canada, old newspaper accounts say he spent at least part of his childhood here, on the Onondaga Nation, where he also played lacrosse.

He may be the greatest runner to ever live in this region, quite a distinction in an area with a burgeoning passion for the sport.